In just thirty minutes and without any violenct response from the campers, the municipal and national police had cordoned off the area. They also forcefully removed each protester and gave the green light to cleanup services, who quickly dismantled the huts that had been built in Sol (downtown Madrid). Despite being a peaceful protest (the unanimous cry was “no to violence”), there were moments of tension since the young people refused to leave the plaza. But the order from the Government Office was clear: clear the plaza, even if meant dragging the protesters away.
“They formed a chain around us, and they started pushing us” says Pablo, one of the protesters. “First the national riot police surrounded us. Then, in groups of five, the municipal police went around throwing us out of the plaza” explained Pablo. An officer of the national police said that the people who were removed cannot enter the Puerta del Sol “for security reasons”, and kept them in two groups – one on Calle Preciados, and the other on Calle Carretas They were guarded there by security forces.
“They call it a democracy, but it’s not”, “Madrid is waking up, the streets are disgusting” and “This is a dictatorship, we want a democracy” were some of the slogans that could be read on the placards.
Likewise, about thirty vehicles, local police as much as national police, weren’t letting the campers into the Puerta del Sol. The protesters reported that the police had identified some of the campers, however they denied that any arrests had been made.
The protesters, who denounced the eviction as “illegal”, carried out a sit-in on Preciados street until past seven in the morning. After a few moments of confusion, they got back to organizing and they promised to continue with more demonstrations. Currently, the group has withdrawn to a location in Madrid which they did not want to disclose in order to continue the protest. Moreover, through the internet they have organized another mass gathering for this Tuesday at 20:00, also in Sol.
*translated from Spanish by Meghan Storey*
